The only cardinal who is not a bishop

WHEN Pope John Paul placed a red biretta on the head of Cardinal Henri de Lubac last week the French Jesuit theologian became the only Cardinal among the present 138 who was never a bishop.
In private correspondence with the Pope after his elevation to the College of Cardinals was announced on Jan. 5, the 86-yes1 old Cardinal de Lubac requested and received permission to forego episcopal ordination.
In 1962 Pope John. XXIII ruled that priests named to the College of Cardinals should be ordained bishops before they were formally enrolled in the college.
A Jesuit source said Cardinal de Lubac wrote to Pope John Paul two days after the January 5 announcement to request an exemption from Pope John's ruling.
He told the Pope that at 86 he was not capable of administering the sacraments of confirmation and holy orders or of running a diocese and argued that episcopal ordination should not be given merely as an honour to the ordinand, the source said.
Cardinal de Lubac, who will be 87 on February 20, spoke of his elevation to the College of Cardinals in an interview with the Rome daily newspaper, 11 Messaggero.
"I really don't know what service 1 ca, render as a Cardinal," he said, "hut it was nice to see Rome again."